First off you’re going to need a well built, rugged pack to carry your gold prospecting equipment and samples. So let’s start there. Here’s an overview of pack styles, sizing and fabrics most suitable for the prospector and desert explorer
Medium Alice Pack 38 liter
What size pack to get for exploring and prospecting
Pack sizing:
The liter has somehow become the most popular unit to measure the carrying capacity of packs these days.
Here is a list roughly showing liter capacity as it relates to pack use:
25 liter – daypack
Anything smaller than 25 liters, and you won’t be able to carry much more than the essentials you’ll need for the day. As it is you’re not going to carry many samples with a pack this size. But if you are traveling hard and fast in recon mode, this might be a good choice. You will have better agility and balance. If your samples turn out to be worthwhile, you can always come back another time with a bigger pack.
45 liter – large daypack
A good size for remote prospecting day trips. Large enough to carry your personal items and 20 or 30 pounds of samples. Not really large enough for both overnight gear and samples.
65 liter – overnight backpack
If you will be traveling more than a few miles on foot, and need to spend the night out, a 65 or 70 liter pack would be a good choice. You’ll be able to carry samples and a simple overnight camp setup. You can buy a bigger pack, the really big ones go up to 110 liters or more. Keep in mind with overnight gear and ore samples, a 65 liter pack can easily weigh 60 pounds or more.
What type of fabric to choose for an exploration pack
Ripstop nylon
I’m only mentioning ripstop nylon as it’s a very common pack fabric these days. It’s a lightweight nylon with a heavier nylon grid in about 1/8 inch squares throughout the fabric. Designed to stop small tears and punctures from spreading, and to keep empty pack weights light. I don’t recommend ripstop for rough use as it abrades and frays fairly quickly. Great for ultra light recreational backpacking but it won’t last long carrying rock samples across rugged terrain.
Ballistic or Cordura nylon
Good choices for rugged sample carrying packs. Both fabrics can withstand repeated abuse. With so many manufacturers these days it’s tough to know what really is or isn’t ‘ballistic’ anymore. Even Cordura now comes in different weights. Look for at least 1000D or 1050D nylon. True ballistic nylon is 1680D
Canvas or Duck
Not too many packs are made of heavy canvas these days. Canvas and duck are made of cotton and sometimes blended with synthetic fibers for additional strength. Very common in days gone by. Heavy duty material, and packs are usually of simple design. A good fabric choice for an exploration pack. Canvas is somewhat synonymous with duck. Although the weights overlap, you have single filled and double filled. Double filled being a smoother weave
For example #8 duck is an 18oz.double filled heavyweight canvas,and a good pack material.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the basics of pack sizes and fabrics, let’s move on to pack styles and which ones may be the most suitable for remote exploration and sample carrying.
What style of pack to choose for prospecting and exploring
Geologists haversack
Traditional geologist field haversacks have one over the shoulder strap attached to a canvas or nylon pouch style bag. Called a haversack or Musette bag, they’re very useful for carrying individually wrapped mineral and crystal specimens. Amazon has some good ones. Here’s a nice one with pals (pouch attachment ladder system) webbing, or this one, that has leather straps and reinforcing.
Alice pack
Short for All-purpose Lightweight Individual Carrying Equipment. Alice packs have been around since the Vietnam war era. Many geologists and prospectors have carried an Alice pack. One of my favorites. No zippers to break, one main compartment with five outside pockets and an external frame. There are some nice remakes out there, and some vintage ones too. Not cheap, but among the best for exploring and prospecting. A large Alice pack’s carrying capacity ranges from 50 to 70 liters, with 62 liters being the average capacity based on pack dimensions.
A nice 1000D, 50 liter large Alice pack here,
Tactical or Molle pack
Short for Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Molle packs also have a military origin, although there are now many private retailers of molle system gear. I personally carry a molle pack in the 45 liter size. The main advantage of these packs is the use of locking D rings to attach modules or pouches to the packs exterior pals webbing. These can increase carrying capacity, and keep your gear organized and easily accessible. Some of the medium to large molle packs come with an internal frame and a hydration bladder.
Molle locking D rings here
Two smaller molle packs, a 25 liter here and a 34 liter here
Two nice mid sized molle packs, 50 liter here and 55 liter here
Large molle pack with detachable assault pack, internal frame and 3 liter hydration bladder. 30/60/80/100 liter capacity. 1000D fabric.
Alps OutdoorZ Extreme Commander X+ 66 liter and 1680D ballistic nylon pack. I really like this pack, rugged, large enough for overnight gear and samples.
See my post: Gold Prospecting equipment-Hand Tools for what to put in your pack
And: First Aid Kits for exploring, prospecting and remote camping
Also: Best Metal Detectors for Gold Prospecting where I go over 6 of the best dedicated gold detectors on the market.
